The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-05-04
Physical Self. Control.

It is not possible to sit in an assem-.
blage of people, and not be impressed
with the lack of physical self-control
manifested. No matter how eloquent
the speaker, how enhancing the mu-
sic, for but few minutes at time are
they able to control perfect silence on
the part Of the audience; constantly
are there useless and unnecessary
movements, revealing the aimless, un-
trained mind. For were the mind
held, the body would be unrecognized
and held by the grip of its power. 1t
is the dual life that causes the constant
movement, change of position, ar
rangement of clothing, movement of
hands and et,-all showing that the
mind has not sovereignty of the body
because it has not been trained to that
sovereignty, or the body to yielding to
the higher power.
Perhaps one-if not the one-annoy-
ance to speakers and hearers is the
endless coughing, hacking, clearing of
the throat, that is one of the evidences
of lack of control physically. The
least selt-restraint on the part of each
individual would reduce the volume
of sound enormously. The constant
gratifying of an impulse acquired, not
innate, the result of nervousness that
grows by what it is fed on, is all evil
dence of unframed intellect. The ef-
feet of gratifying this needless impulse
by fifty or sixty persons at the same
time, in the same place, is out of all
proportion to the individual effort. If
fraction of the effort made in graft
flying the impulse were made in re-
straining it, great good would result to
health and comfort.
We have associated the idea of self
control with the moral and mental ma
ture, ignoring its immense influence
in the development of the physical,
and its reflex action on the higher
powers through the physical. The
woman who cannot occupy a rocking
chair without keeping it in constant
motion is the woman who cannot meet
the everyday annoyances with a self
poised calmness. Trif1es distress her {;
and she excuses herself for displays of
irritation because of nervousness, when
it was nothing but lack of self-control.
The mantle of charity is much enlarg-
ed by this modern fringe we call ner-
vousness. II must do something; l
cannot sit with idle hands," is not the
expression of normal industry, but
the expression of abnormal activity.
It's the physical Martha instead of the
mental Mary that has gained control.
Martha would serve herself and the
world better if she recognized the mo-
ments when to sit still meant the learn
ing of lesson that would reveal true
serving.
Last Sunday night a boy of sixteen
sat in an audience apparently listen
ing to the addresses being delivered.
He hung his hat Oh his umbrella, and,
putting his finger in the loosely hang
ing silk, swayed the hat back and
forth for nearly one half-hour. TO do
this he was forced to make motion of
the right arm from the shoulder.
Think of the wasted strength! A pale,
thin youth, who needed every bit OF
strength and vitality in his body to
make legitimate effort, to accomplish
any purpose. The movement simply
revealed the empty, unused mind.
Restless, aimless wandering about, or
purposeless movements, should be ed
ucated out of child. All are the re-
suit of purposeless mind.
Physical restlessness can be over
come in an adult who will once ac-
knowledge the tremendous waste of
energy, vitality and force, in useless,
purposeless movements. Compel your
self to sit still in comfortable posi-
ton that paws eyery attention to con-
ventionalities. Do not give to restless
ness which is the result of mental in
activity, which results from the men-
tai barrenness and irritability, the
name of nervousness, and hug the de-
lusion to the soul that nervousness is
an evidence of "highly strung ma
ture"-to use much abused term.
Physical self-control is the result of
education and good breeding, and its
possession is as necessary to sound
health as mental self-control to sound
orals.-ChriStiara Union.